Abbey Ales boss launches The Bath Coffee Company

The man behind Abbey Ales is expanding his portfolio and venturing into coffee.

Managing director of the Bath-based brewery, Alan Morgan, will next week launch his first cafe in Kingsmead Square.

Under the new name The Bath Coffee Company, Mr Morgan has said he wants to be part of the growing coffee scene in the city as well as the improvements taking place in the Kingsmead area.

Abbey Ales owns four pubs in Bath including The Trinity on James Street West.

“I’ve got a bit more time on my hands because my son Simon is running the brewery. We have a pub in Kingsmead Square and a lot of people who work for us are trained baristas.

“I thought to myself they’re people who are very good at their jobs and people are just fanatical about coffee. I can’t tell the difference personally, beer that’s a different matter but coffee no.

“Kingsmead Square is the most up and coming part of the town at the moment. They are talking about making the square more al fresco and pedestrianised. The shop came up at the right time and it seemed a good opportunity.”

In January the Bath Business Improvement District got permission to create an al fresco dining and performing arts space in Kingsmead Square, which will aim to make the square an attraction in its own right rather than just a cut through.

The Bath Coffee Company, which will be managed by Adam Kilbane, will join a host of successful cafes in Kingsmead Square such as The Society Cafe, Boston Tea Party, Jazz Cafe, Java Coffee and more recently Starbucks.

But Mr Morgan said he believes there is room for one more.

“The four pubs we have were all supposed to close and we took them on despite there being so many other pubs in the town. We are now one of the most successful pub groups in Bath. Competition is a good thing especially now they are transforming Kingsmead Square. We aren’t just another coffee shop we are going for quality.”

Just to put the record straight:
We will not be applying for a license to sell alcohol.
Alan Morgan will not be running the shop it will be managed and run by staff who are trained baristas and have a passion for serving excellent coffee.
Bath Coffee Company.

It seems that while Jika Jika would apparently like to stay open later serving alcohol, this change in their licence was not granted. See http://tinyurl.com/no7hkej
So, they are indeed subject to the same licensing regime as other establishments and are not abusing the system. This is why they're not open late and probably why the majority of people there when I've been there are drinking non-alcoholic drinks.

It seems that while Jika Jika would apparently like to stay open later serving alcohol, this change in their licence was not granted. See http://tinyurl.com/no7hkej
So, they are indeed subject to the same licensing regime as other establishments and are not abusing the system. This is why they're not open late and probably why the majority of people there when I've been there are drinking non-alcoholic drinks.

@Simon Mcgrath
Simon, do you have evidence that Jika Jika are "abusing the system" or that they circumvented "hurdles" that pubs and bars have to jump?
My guess is that Jika Jika have jumped all the hurdles to obtain correct licenses to sell alcohol. The thought that a business could avoid getting an alcohol license by saying that they were a coffee shop is utterly ludicrous. I find it very unlikely that Jika Jika would have lasted a week without all of its licenses correct in a place like Bath.

The difference is that by going as a 'coffee shop', they would go through less licencing procedures than if it was a pub or a bar.
Why should pubs and bars have to face such hurdles when you have Jika Jika and this one abusing the system. We need a level playing field for any place that serves alcohol.